If your chicken breast has white striping it may contain way more fat than you think

The INSIDER Summary:

According to activist group, Compassion for World Farming, much of the poultry we consume is affected by a muscular disorder known as white striping.

White striping on a chicken breast indicates that the meat has more fat and less protein than meat without striping.

The group said this condition is due to poor conditions on factory farms and farmers resorting to genetic manipulation to make chickens grow bigger faster.

Chicken has long been thought of as the healthy choice when compared to other meats like beef.

But activist group Compassion in World Farming is bringing to light a muscular disorder that may be affecting the nutritional value of much of the poultry we're eating.

According to a campaign video posted by the group, the condition is known as "white striping," which refers to the thin white stripes that run parallel to the regular muscle on some chicken breasts. The group said that this striping can mean that a piece of chicken contains more fat and less protein than a piece without striping.

The video explains that high demand for chicken has caused many farmers to resort to genetic manipulation to make birds grow bigger faster. They said that this manipulation, along with poor conditions on factory farms, has resulted in chicken meat that's fattier and can be tough to chew.

White striping has become much more common in recent years. According to a 2016 study by the University of Arkansas and Texas A&M, chickens are marketed in half the time and at twice the body weight than they were 50 years ago. After testing a total of 285 birds, the study found that 96% had white striping.

A spokesman for the National Chicken Council says the percentage of chickens affected is "small."Randall Hill/Reuters

Although, according to a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, the number of affected chickens is still pretty minimal. The spokesman told Buzzfeed that white striping is found in "a small percentage of chicken meat," and that it "does not create any health or food safety concerns for people and the welfare of the chicken itself is not negatively impacted."

Besides making for less nutritious poultry, the condition also affects chickens' quality of life, Compassion for World Farming said. The group compares white striping to muscular dystrophy in humans, alleging that affected birds endure suffering and chronic pain.